December 19, 2010

We have a unique tradition on Christmas Eve that began years ago when the girls were small. We felt sorta guilty about it for many years and kept it a secret, but slowly word got out. You see, we judge you. Yes, if you send us a Christmas Card, it is entered into the Christmas Card Contest for a chance to win...
well, that's it, for a chance to win before hitting the first recycle pile of the New Year.

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Here's how it goes. After the Christmas Eve service, when we are all holier than thou, we gather around the table and number all the cards we have received. They are then evenly distributed among the judges and evaluated in three categories. Using our special secret ballots, we first look at the cover. Based on our impression, it will receive a score of 1-5. Glitter cards used to do well here for some reason. The next category is message. I like this one because it gives us a chance to really read and absorb the good wishes being sent. Bonus points to the folks who take the time to actually write a short note! Then it gets an overall impact score based on the totality of the cover and the message. The record holder for most wins is hands-down my mother-in-law. I think she must have gotten to the Hallmark store super early before all the good ones got away. It isn't always the fancy ones, though. We've had some handmade cards produce winners, too.

When a few senders discovered our dark secret, we discovered something about them. They are COMPETITIVE. It is easy to spot the ones who are in it to WIN IT.

We never dreamed this would become such a fun tradition, but it is definitely something we look forward to from the very first card that arrives.